Wall cabinet



Feb. 10,1959 I H. J.M MBERT EI'AL 2,873,161

10,1959 H. J. M. LAM-B ERT EI'AL 2,873,161

WALL CABINET Filed June 20, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb- 10, 19 H. J. M. LAMBERT ET AL 2,873,161

United States Patent WALL CABINET Henri Jacques Marc Lambert and Georges Paul Mongin, Seine-et-Oise, France Application June 20, 1955, Serial No. 516,516

Claims priority, application France June 8, 1955 6 Claims. (Cl. 312-292) The object of the present invention is a method of the rational fitting up of furniture, specially of furniture of the domestic type, such as wall-cupboards, wardrobes, ice-chests, bookcases, etc. The present invention is a continuation in part of my copending application Serial No. 336,424 now Patent No. 2,793,093.

It is well known that pieces of furniture of this variety have a fairly large storing capacity with appropriate means of closing. This is the case, in particular, of cupboards fixed to the floor and usually fitted with large cumbersome doors. Another more up to date arrangement is known, comprising two distinct parts: one component attached to the wall and, below it, another component,known as the block, lying on the floor. The upper part of the block forms the working surface and the cupboard, not as deep as the block, is placed at a higher level than the top of the block and leaves the working surface free. It is understandable that it is essential to be able to open or close the cupboard with the greatest ease without the closing mechanism, in its open position, getting in the users way.

The present specification solves this problem simpler and with taste, whether it be a case of cupboards placed on the floor, cupboards fixed above or near the blocks or plain working or serving surfaces.

The method according tothe invention is characterised in that it consists in dividing the enclosed volume available inside the piece of furniture in question into two distinct parts, viz. the first of these that can be called the spare volume and that is made use of neither frequently not regularly and the second of usually smaller size and known as the working volume that is used very often. The spare volume is fitted with a closing device of some common type whilst the working volume is supplied with a special means of closing, hardly or not at all cumbersome when in use and preferably associated in its design with the closing device for the spare volume, the border line between the above volumes being defined as it were, by the closing means.

Furthermore, in its open position, the working volumes closing device that in no way obstructs access to another volume as in the case of standard sliding doors.

Indeed, the housewife, and the users have at their disposal two distinct volumes formed by the closing means. The working volume only will be readily accessible and will thus contain those articles which are constantly in use. The spare volume will only be resorted to on far rarer occasions and that is why its closing means are of far lesser importance.

Other characteristics follow from the description hereunder given out with reference to the appended drawings and purely by way of example. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a cupboard designed according to invention for domestic use;

Fig. 2 shows a front elevation of it;

Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of it;

Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view along line lV-IV of Figure 2;

Fig. 5 shows a plan view thereof;

Figs. 6 and 7 show cross-sections along lines VI-VI and VII-VII of Figure 2;

Fig. 8 shows alternatively a perspective view cupboard;

Fig. 9 shows the same perspective view with the lower panel in open position;

Fig. 10 shows the same perspective view with the upper and lower panels in open position;

Fig. 10a shows cross sections along line Xa-Xa of Fig. 10.

Figs. 11 and 12 show different ways of operating the doors that close the Working volume;

Figs. 13 and 14 show front and side views of a means for mechanical operation of the above mentioned door;

Figs. 15 and 16 show front and cross-sectional views of a means for the electric operation of this door;

Figs. 17 and 18 show a means for controlling several doors.

According to the example of Figures 1 to 7, the chest according to invention comprises a unit 1 made up into a cupboard or a cabinet with several compartments 2, 2', 2", 2", and combined with a unit 3, made up of a usual block and including the service or working surface 3. The cabinet 1 is situated above the surface 3'. Each compartment is closed by a door 4 the lower portion of which is cut away at 5 to give a hatch elfect as far as possible.

A shutter as at 6 or of a similar sort allows the hatch to be closed.

These hatches as at 5 define the limits of the working compartment or volume 7, whilst the remaining part of the compartment forms the spare volume 8.

Frequent use will be made of the working volume and occasional use of the spare volume. The inconvenience resulting from the opening of the large sized doors 4 when using the spare volume is of minor importance, since said doors are openin only rare occasions but it is essential that the working volume be closed without causing any obstruction, since it will he often operated and is at users height.

In Figures 2 to 7, is shown how to achieve this result.

-In this embodiment, shutter 6 slides for instance in the actual body :of door 4. A handle 9, for example, allows the shutter to be operated upwards and downwards. A handle 9 allows the door 4 itself to be opened by swivelling on hinges 38 in the usual way (Figs. 2-3). The door panels are shown at 10 and the grooves in which they slide at 11.

According to Figs. 8 to 10 the body of door 4a has an area substantially equal to that of the front face of the compartment forming the spare volume 8. The shutter 6 is adapted to slide in the limited panel 4a and to be concealed therein in its upper position. Panel 4a is proof a vided with a lower narrow projection 39 integral therewith and disposed in its plan along a vertical lower part 40 of the frame of the working compartment 7.

The narrow projection 39 is substantially of the same thickness as panel 411 and is provided with a groove or the like 41 intended to guide the registering vertical edge of shutter 6.

Moreover to maintain transversally panel 6 in its lower position, the vertical edge of this panel and the groove 41 have preferably a cross-sectional square shape as shown at 44, 44' on Fig. 10a, or are provided with similar channels and corresponding projection cooperating with each other to prevent any undue lateral displacement of panel 6.

Preferably projection 39 is hingedly connected at 38a to the frame of the working compartment and is provided with a lower abutment 42 for limiting the downward movement of shutter 6.

Besides the panel 6, when in its upper position, is maintained by stop means of a known type for example, as shown on Fig. a by a ball 45 located in an orifice 46 provided in the thickness of door 4 or of the projection 39 thereof. A spring 47 bearing against a cap or the like 48 closing said orifice urges said ball and causes the same to be automatically engaged in a corresponding recess 49 provided in panel 6 and registering with said ball when said panel is in its upper position. Obviously any'device of other known type may be provided instead of the preceding one.

The frame of the compartments 7 and 8 shows shoulders at 43 in order to take up the difference between the thickness of panel 4a and that of shutter 6 at the junction thereof. Consequently this frame constitutes a continuous bearing part for the assembly of panel 4a and shutter 6.

It may be seen that from the position shown in Fig. 8 wherein panel 4a and shutter 6 are in a closed position the upward sliding movement of shutter 6 allows to conceal the latter inside panel 4a, the cupboard looking as shown in Fig. 9. If panel 4a is thus pivoted about its hinges 38 and 38a, the cupboard looks as in Fig. 10, wherein the space 43 located at the front of the working compartment is clear of any frame or the like as it does in the case of the embodiment shown on Figs. 1 to 7.

It is possible to cancel the narrow projection 39 and to provide fixed grooves in the edges of the walls bordering the apertured front face of the cabinet in order to guide shutter 6 during the closing movement therein, but in this case it is necessary to operate shutter 6 upwardly before opening panel 4a.

Means for lifting the shutter 6 can obviously be arranged and possibly situated at 12.

According to Figure 11, the shutter is made up of screen wound around a roller 16. Figure 12 shows the case of a shutter made of folding slats 17.

Another example illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14 shows shutter 6 carrying, on the one hand, a handle 9 for closing by hand, and on the other hand, a stop 19 engaging the upper edge 20 of a lever 21 which is subjected to the action of spring 22. The shutter 6 is connected, for instance, to a spiral spring 24 by a cable 23. To open the working volume all that is needed is to rock lever 21 in the direction of arrow f, and this allows the shutter 6 to spring up in the direction of arrow f2; the lifting of shutter 6 can be obtained through any power means, so that the shutter may be driven electrically, by compressed air, or hydraulically. Figures 15 and 16 show the layout of the electrical means. The shutter is attached at 25 to a wire or a cable 26 wound around pulley 27. On the spindle 28 carrying the pulley 27 is mounted a second pulley 29 around which is wound a cable 30 which supports the core 31 of the electromagnet 32. The working of this arrangement is obvious and so is the manner of obtaining a reduction in speed. It is specified that the operation of shutters of a number of cupboard cabinets can be carried out shutter by shutter or simultaneously. The electrical, compressed air, or other control means easily solve the problem by means of general circuit-breakers or control-valves. In the method by hand, such a simultaneous operation can be obtained, for example, by the arrangement shown in Figures 17 and 18. In this modification, a spindle 33 carries levers 34, 34', 34 each of which operates a shutter. A simple handle 35 may thus operate simultaneously all the levers 34. Spindle 33 drives each lever 34 by means of 3. lug 36 adapted to move within a slot 37 provided in the hub carrying the lever. Of course, the invention is in no way restricted to the methods of opera tion described and illustrated, for these are only given by way of examples.

It should be pointed out that the use of the cabinet according to the invention must obviously be considered in combination with a usual kitchen block as shown in 3 on Fig. 1 above which said cabinet is situated.

It mustfurther be observed that the following features are also contained in this new cabinet:

(a) The cabinet is situated at such a height with regard to the operator that its lower part is directly accessible when the user stands before it;

(b) The provision of a vertically hinged door for closing the upper spare volume of the cabinet;

(c) The provision of a sliding door in parallel and adjacent relationship with respect to the hinged door and adapted to slide while remaining or not in contact with said latter;

(d) Said sliding door and said hinged door screen the entire front face of the cabinet when they are both in closed position.

What we claim is:

1. A cabinet designed to. be arranged on a side wall of a room, said cabinet having a main body space and a front face, the whole surface of which is adapted to be opened, said cabinet being designed to be placed at such a height above the floor of said room that users access to said main body space of said cabinet is most facilely achieved through its lowermost. portion from thereof, shelf means for dividing said body space into an upper spare volume and a lower working volume, a vertically hinged door for closing said front face, the upper full portion of said door is restricted to a narrow projection extending downwardly from said full portion at the hinged edge thereof, a vertical door substantially of the same width as said front face being slidably mounted on said vertically hinged door so as to slide along said projection substantially in the plan of said full portion and give access to said working volume when concealed inside said full portion in its open position, said projection being equipped with groove means intended to guide said sliding door during the upward and downward movements thereof, and with locking means for stopping said sliding door, when in its upper position.

2. A cabinet according to claim 1 wherein said sliding door is provided with a. lateral edge mounted in said hinged edge, said lateral edge and said hinged edge being of a cross-section so shaped as to maintain transversely said sliding door and prevent any undue lateral displacement thereof.

3. A cabinet according to claim 2 wherein said hinged edge and said lateral edge have an inner square crosssectional shape.

4. A cabinet according to claim 2 wherein said hinged edge and said lateral edge are provided with inner channel and projection means cooperating with each other to prevent any undue lateral displacement of said sliding door.

5. A cabinet according to claim 1 wherein said groove means comprises at its lower end an abutment adapted to limit downwardly the sliding. movement of said sliding door.

6. A cabinet according to claim 1 wherein the edges of the walls of said cabinet bordering said spare volume and said working volume are provided with shoulders intended for taking up the thickness differences between said sliding door and said hinged door in order to constitute a continuous bearing surface for the edges of said doors.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 14,732 Kors Oct. 7, 1919 255,771 Carpenter Apr. 4, 1882 1,132,438 Carr Mar. 16, 1915 1,514,845 Fischer Nov. 11, 1924 2,349,541 Earle May 23, 1944 2,411,713 Denison Nov. 26, 1946 2,793,093 Lambert et al May 21, 1957 

